Obsession
by Takayuki Uchiha
Summary: A new school term begins and Renesmee meets her own "Bella." Only he may not be willing to return her affections, and Renesmee does not have the same patience as her father. Possible triggers for dark theme.


She first noticed him because of her father's reaction. In the middle of lunch Edward balked and put a hand to his forehead, looking as though he might be sick. His nose flared and he squeezed his eyes shut before looking nervously at Bella.

"What?"

It must have hit her a second later, for Bella suddenly gasped and cupped her hands around her nose, blinking rapidly to clear her head. Rosalie stiffened and Alice grabbed Jasper's arm. Then the scent hit Renesmee, and she was drowning in warm honey and spices. She was out of her chair before she realized it, and only her father's hand clamping down on her arm kept her from investigating further.

That didn't mean she couldn't eye him appreciatively, though. He was not tall for a human, nor did he have the beauty of a god, but he was handsome and when he smiled Renesmee wanted to dance into his arms. His hair was longer, reminding her of Jacob, and his eyes ... his eyes were like a stag's, warm and brown and alive, with the tint of anxiety like an animal knowing it lived to be hunted. Renesmee drowned in those eyes and she claimed them for her own. When he smiled at her she beamed back, and she knew he was her mate.

"Leave it, Renesmee," her father cautioned.

He was always too cautious. This was a new school for the Cullens, and Renesmee's first. They kept to themselves and tried their best to fit in. After a while, no one was really interested in them. That was what Edward wanted.

Renesmee hated it.

"It's just a boy, Dad," she said casually, sinking back into her chair. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him walk away, taking that glorious scent and those dashing brown eyes with him. Shivers ran down her arms and she clenched her hands, willing herself to breathe the tantilizing feeling away. Oh, she wanted him. She wanted him like nothing else she had ever wanted before. He was perfection and life and ecstacy, and he would be her mate.

After all, if father had married a human, why couldn't she?

* * *

She learned his name was Phillip. He had been attending the same school since kindergarten, and was fairly popular among his classmates. He was the shortest in his family. Bronze highlights in his hair. A teasing quirk in his grin whenever he flirted. He'd never had a girlfriend.

"He's a nice guy, you know," Julia said as she copied Renesmee's answers onto her homework. "Everyone likes him. He's just not ... you know ... Well, he's Phillip."

Phillip. The geek who loved math and was too shy to actually ask a girl on a date. He sat beside Renesmee in chemistry and showed her all the secret shortcuts to a perfect score, but he never once said he liked her.

He never even looked at her.

Renesmee saw the way he looked at other girls. There was Marie in the front of the classroom: golden hair and hazel eyes that surely contained a witch's spell. She shared three of Phillip's classes, and everyone was secretly betting he would ask her out to prom next year. Marie was pretty and winsome and rivettingly _dull, _and Renesmee knew her Phillip deserved better.

And so she decided to ask him herself one day.

"Hi." Quiet, assured, proactive. She had nothing to feel nervous about.

"Hey." Phillip smiled, and oh, how those dark eyes sparkled. She drank them in and yearned for more.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house this Saturday - to help me with my homework." Renesmee knew she would have to put up a good show to keep off his suspicions: she would have no trouble earning an 'A' on her own.

Phillip shrugged and smiled again. "Sure. I have soccer practice later in the afternoon, though. Nine o'clock sound all right to you?"

He was so kind and unassuming. His scent wafted over Renesmee and she realized she could pull him aside right now, where no one could see, and hold his head in her hands: assure him of her love over and over again, before she sank her teeth into the soft skin at the base of his throat and tasted that pure, succulent...

The thought frightened Renesmee and she stepped back quickly. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she tried to gather her thoughts. "That will be fine. Will you need a ride?"

"Got my own car. I'm used to last minute homework assistance. Don't worry, you'll get through the exams just fine. Meet you Saturday!"

A wave of his hand and a swish of his hair, heady and luscious, and he was gone, talking to _that_ girl once more. Jealousy sank like a hot stone in Renesmee's stomach as she watched them leave. She had to make him understand somehow. He was made for her.

* * *

"No."

"He won't be any trouble, Grandpa. He's just helping me out with my homework this weekend."

"I thought you were doing well in class," Esme said.

"I'm not - I mean, I _am_ doing fine. Phillip is just helping me with the Chemistry finals. This is my first high school semester, Grandma. I want to do my best."

"No more humans," Carlilse insisted. "Did you even talk to your father about this?"

"It's not like it's a big deal!" Renesmee protested. "I mean, he married Mom! Can't I have a friend who's human?"

"Friends are one thing," Esme said, looking at Carlisle with concern. "But we can't have humans coming to the house all the time, Nessie. We had enough trouble when your mother was human."

"We can't force Jasper or any of the others to leave the room every time they feel tempted," Carlisle said. "It isn't fair to them, and it is too dangerous for everyone else. What if someone were to lose control, Renesmee? The last thing we need is for someone to be charged with murder."

"But - "

"No." Carlisle held up a hand, silencing Renesmee's protests. "My final word is no. Renesmee. He will never be like us. He is mortal. He cannot understand our ways. You will frighten him, and he will tell others about what he knows."

"But he - "

"We cannot take another risk with humans. One near catastrophe was enough. You can enjoy your friends at school, but they cannot become closer than that. I'm sorry: I know this is hard for you to take, but it is something we have all had to endure over time."

Clenching her hands into fists, Renesmee breathed sharply and fought for control. "I - oh!" Her temper would not settle peaceably. Stomping out of the room, she slammed the door hard enough to shatter the glass. The knob tore off in her hand and she flung it away.

Phillip's kind brown eyes swam to mind and she let the vision fill her head until she could almost touch his lips with her own.

* * *

"Change of plans this weekend? That's all right. We can schedule for another time."

Phillip wasn't even disappointed when he heard the news. He smiled and walked on to class, and Renesmee felt like she had been punched in the throat. Couldn't he see how she yearned for him? Couldn't he see them together, warmth filling them as she pulled him close to her and let that soft, dark head rest on her shoulder? He was weak. He was frail. He was human. She would be his protector. She was dhampir. She was alone. He would hold her tight and she would never be lonely again.

They were made for one another.

Chemistry class was grey and lifeless. Phillip's fingers brushed hers, so warm and full of life, and she felt cold inside. At lunch he invited her over to sit with him and his friends. She saw her parents watching her guardedly, but Phillip only spoke to her once to ask if she liked the mystery meat.

He reached out to pull her hair away from her food, and Renesmee almost grabbed his fingers.

The smell... so enticing... so deliriously forbidden. It was nothing like the scent of a deer fleeing from her cousins. This was prey that was waiting for her, anxious and afraid, yet trusting that the hunter would never harm him. She wanted to break that trust: to feel the terror rushing through him as hot blood gushed into her mouth...

Fear spiked through Renesmee again and she folded her hands in her lap.

She would never hurt Phillip.

She wouldn't.

* * *

Exams came and went, and a new quarter started. Renesmee and Phillip tied for first place in their class. She thought they could celebrate. Phillip was too busy. He scored three goals in an important game and partied with his teammates that weekend.

They had Algebra together for the next quarter. Phillip adjusted Renesmee's fingers so that she held the protractor correctly, and she could no longer help herself. She grabbed hold of that wonderful hand and wound her fingers around his own. Phillip's hand was larger, dwarfing her own. But when Renesmee felt his inner strength, so different than her own physical strength which could cripple his fingers in one twist, she swore she would depend on him for the rest of her life. She wanted to be his own.

Phillip startled for a moment, confusion clouding his stag's eyes, before he laughed it off and pulled his hand away. "I get it. You know what you're doing without my help."

His fingers twitched distractedly for the rest of the class.

Lunch passed and Renesmee couldn't bring herself to look at him.

* * *

Days later, she caught him talking with Marie. They were laughing together, and she heard Phillip ask the petite blonde if she had any plans for the afternoon. Had she been a pure vampire like her father, Renesmee's blood could not have run any colder.

* * *

Phillip asked her if she was creeped out like other girls when it came to snakes, and if a tarantula would make a cool pet. He chattered about sports and the new tires he got for his car, and asked if she wanted to see them. He didn't ask her if she wanted to go out for coffee. Marie got that privilege.

Renesmee went to see his car anyway.

She didn't see the scratches in the paint that Phillip needled at with a frown. She didn't notice the sleek black tires he thumped proudly and asked her opinion about. All she saw were those gorgeous brown eyes waiting for her approval. Warm honey and spices filled her senses and she pulled him down before she could even think about it.

An instant later Phillip yanked away, surprise widening his eyes and clamming up his hands. Apprehension of the unknown filtered through those dark eyes and he rubbed his lip where Renesmee's tooth had nicked the skin.

"Nessie... Look, I ... I didn't know. I thought we were just ... I like Marie, okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ... I gotta go."

Tires screeched and red paint flashed, and Renesmee was left alone. And the _aloneness _rose up and killed her like an iron bar plunging through her chest. Phillip didn't want her. She had rushed him, and her strength had frightened him away. Carlisle had been right. She didn't belong with humans.

Bella found her in the parking lot an hour later, staring at the trees lining the bright blue sky. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and led her home.

"I'm here for you," was all she needed to say.

* * *

Renesmee tried everything to stay away. She changed classes and finished strong in Geometry. She turned up her headphones to drown out Marie's laughter. She called in sick too many days, unable to handle the uncomfortable look in Phillip's eyes whenever he saw her. His scent filled her dreams and she woke with her tongue searching her teeth for that droplet of richest delight. It tainted her senses and she dreamed of kissing her Phillip, of biting his lips and hearing his groans of ecstasy as blood filled her mouth.

She woke and the dreams tore at her, for Phillip was no longer her own.

Her father supervised her with even more strict rules, and one of her cousins was always watching her in the busy hallway. They knew she was struggling, and they understood.

But for Renesmee it was no longer a struggle to avoid Phillip. He was a trap and he was torture, and she could not resist his scent any longer. Passion had warped into possession, and she would have her mate.

She found him in the empty hallway one afternoon. Phillip was always late after soccer practice. This time he was alone. This time, he belonged to her.

"Nessie... Hi..." The guarded look was there as he slowly slid a book into his bag. He was wary of her.

Renesmee didn't want him to be afraid. "I need to talk to you, Phillip. Please, can we just talk?"

She stepped forward: unassuming, unthreatening. Phillip put his bag down to listen.

"Phillip..."

She closed in the distance and took his hand in her own. He balked and began to pull away. "Renesmee, this needs to stop. I already told you ..."

Uncertainty glinted in his eyes and he pulled back again. Renesmee's fingers clamped tight and Phillip froze, unease freezing his expression. Renesmee wanted that fear. It lured her in, like a hawk to the blood of a dying stag. She tasted it in the sweat-tainted air and she stepped closer, pressing her other hand against Phillip's shoulder and guiding him back against his own locker.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid."

Apprehension roiled from him and he looked around for an escape route. "Nessie, this is ridiculous... what areyou _doing_?"

His shoulders were pressed against cool metal and Renesmee shushed him, holding him steady with one hand. He struggled under her grip, fear lighting his beautiful brown eyes. "What's wrong with you, Nessie? I don't want - Heck, where are you working out, girl?"

"Stop struggling. I don't want to hurt you."

Phillip started to speak and Renesmee lifted one finger to his lips, hushing him one last time. A stag's frightened eyes met her own and she pressed in closer, holding him in place. Her hands glided down his face and she captured his lips, tasting the cold sweat of terror. Phillip struggled and she clamped down harder, heat flooding her face and neck.

This was glory. This was ecstasy. This was sweet, forbidden love. Renesmee's hands wound around Phillip's neck and she claimed him as her mate, biting down on the soft lining of his mouth.

Hot blood filled her mouth and Phillip cried out, tearing away. Renesmee's teeth tore at the corners of his lips and he flung himself back, raising his hand to the scarlet stain.

"Why would you... Leave me _alone_, Renesmee!"

Horror and shame filled Renesmee and her eyes flooded with salty tears. "Phillip, I'm sorry, I just ..."

_I love you. I need you. You need me. I want you to be with me. Forever._

"She can't have you!"

The admission burst free and Renesmee clapped her hands over her mouth. Phillip pushed his sleeve against his lips, dumfounded at her outcry.

"She can't... This is about Marie? You _bit_ me because you're jealous? Have you gone mad?"

"Phillip, no ... you're ... you're my ..." The truth filled her with fervor like hot blood flooding her stomach. Blood like warm honey and spices. Like her Phillip. "You're my mate!"

Phillip dropped his arm and stared at her, disgust filling his eyes. "Go home, Renesmee."

"Phillip - "

"I'm not some dog you can pick up and call your _pet_!" Slowly Phillip reached down and retrieved his bag. "You need help, Renesmee."

He walked in a wide circle around her, never turning his back. "I'm not going to say anything," he promised. "I don't want you to be in trouble. But this needs to stop now. I don't think we should talk to one another anymore."

Blood trickled down his chin. One drop, dark crimson and alluring. Renesmee's tongue edged around her teeth, and his blood was there. Phillip's blood. The blood of a human. The blood of her mate.

_Her mate_.

She would have him.

"Renesmee... Don't ... _Stop!_"

* * *

She came to her senses hours later, with Phillip's blood still smeared over her hands and face. She learned that Emmet had found them and pulled her away, kicking and screaming incoherently as she clawed at the rich copper pooling on the floor. Alice tried to talk sense to her while Edward raced to the hospital with Phillip. His neck was torn apart and his left hand broken. It was a miracle he was still breathing.

Renesmee stared at the blood on her hands and shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. _This _was the life she had before her. The life of a monster.

Her mother's arms wrapped around her, filled with love and acceptance, and Renesmee screamed her despair.

* * *

They moved schools at once. They had to. The police in this town were not as easy to blindside as those in Forks.

Edward decided Renesmee was not ready for public schools yet. She had tasted human blood, and her thoughts burned for more. She was too unstable to risk.

Phillip survived, as Renesmee learned much later She found his picture on the front page of a newspaper. _'Promising Scholarship Applicant Quits After Mysterious Attack.' _Three gash-like scars filed across Phillip's neck, and there was a haunted fever in his eyes. Apparently his vocal chords had been severed in the attack, and he would not write a testimony. It was decided a wildcat had slipped into the halls. No proof had been found. The hall cameras had been destroyed.

The newspaper was folded and slipped into a drawer, hidden from sight. Renesmee pretended to forget. But sometimes when the moon was full she would pull the worn paper from a drawer and run her fingers over it. She would try to remember his shy smile and gentle eyes, and an untainted love and kindness that had drawn her in before it was shattered forever.


End file.
